When the University of North Carolina’s Center for International Understanding approached Apex High School about partnering with a school in China, Principal Matt Wight was a bit hesitant.

Wight wasn’t sure how such a project could benefit his students or the community.

While researching the project on the Internet Wight needed help translating the Chinese text. So he went to his English as a Second Language teacher and asked if anyone in the school could speak Mandarin.

“There were two kids there who could speak Mandarin,” said Wight. “I thought that maybe (China) isn’t as far away as we think. We have kids in our building now who are Chinese. So that kind of made me see the potential for partnering with them wasn’t far-fetched at all.”

Wight and Apex High’s Academy of Information Technology (AOIT) Director Julie Oster recently spent a week in China to lay the foundation for a partnership with Jiangsu Yancheng Middle School, which is China’s equivalent of a high school.

They spoke with English-speaking teachers, administrators and students and even made some tentative plans for a visit from a Chinese delegation during the upcoming school year.

“They will do the same thing we did, which is having a chance to see what the school is like and interact with some of the students and staff,” said Wight.

Wight said he was impressed by how well the Chinese spoke English.

“I was surprised by their level of English, especially the kids,” said Wight. “It’s not just rote memorization but the ability to express complex ideas.

“I was also surprised at the Western influence I saw. There were kids wearing NBA jerseys everywhere I went. There were typical name brands you would find here everywhere I went. One of the first questions one of the kids asked me was if I knew (NBA player) Allen Iverson.”

Wight also learned just how small the world is becoming these days.

“When we were touring the Forbidden City I saw a kid with an NC State shirt on,” said Wight. “I went over and chatted him up a bit and he told me he was in China on a six-week program. When I told him I was from Apex he said there was a girl in his group from Apex.

“So I actually met a girl who graduated from Apex High School while I was at the Forbidden City. What are the chances of that?”

Finding funds for the trip was difficult because of the current economic crisis. No school funds were used.

“It was challenging,” said Wight. “We applied for grants, the PTSA helped us and I paid some of it out of my own pocket. But it was also underwritten by several organizations such as the Center for International Understanding and College Board.”

There are some major difference between Apex High and Jiangsu Yancheng Middle. The Chinese school has 12,000 students who live on the sprawling campus. There are also 800 teachers who hold classes six days a week with as many as 60 students in a classroom.

“It’s a very impressive campus,” said Wight.

Apex has only about 2,200 students and rarely has more than 35 students in one classroom.

Yet, despite all the obvious differences, Wight believes the partnership will have a positive impact.

He points to the Chinese-owned company Lenovo in Morrisville and the Confucius Institute at NC State as two major local connections to China.

And with China becoming a major force in the world economy, a strong relationship could prove beneficial.

“I think the potential for us to establish this partnership to the benefit of our students and our community is really unlimited,” said Wight.

“One of the most important things we do is try to make education relevant to our students. You talk to anyone in business now and ultimately they talk about how multinational things are. So I think for us as a school to establish a partnership with a school in China is only going to help prepare them for the real world.”